Charles Esther
Warner Bros Discovery Begins Gentle Crackdown on Max Password Sharing
Max Viewers Borrowing Logins Should Prepare for Change
Fans watching The White Lotus and The Last of Us on borrowed Max accounts may soon face a shift in how they access their favourite shows.
Sam Nivola and Patrick Schwarzenegger are set to appear in The White Lotus season three, but some viewers may need to secure their own subscriptions to tune in.
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD), the parent company of HBO, is preparing to curb password sharing on its Max streaming platform.
While the company isn’t enforcing strict measures just yet, it is introducing a paid-sharing model that will gradually become more assertive over time.
Soft Messaging Begins With a Long-Term Strategy
According to JB Perrette, WBD’s global streaming head, the company will start by encouraging users to get their own Max accounts.
If account holders want to continue sharing access, they’ll need to pay an extra $8 per month.
This “soft messaging” strategy is designed to ease users into the new system.
Over the next 12 to 18 months, WBD plans to slowly tighten its policy on password sharing.
The changes will begin in the United States and gradually expand to other countries where Max is currently rolling out.
Following Netflix’s Lead on Paid Sharing
WBD is not the first streaming company to adopt this model.
Netflix successfully implemented paid sharing, prompting others like Disney to follow suit.
NBC’s Peacock is also warning users against password sharing, though Paramount, Amazon, and Apple have yet to take similar steps.
If Disney and WBD succeed, more platforms may join the crackdown.
Growth in Subscribers and Revenue Fuels the Push
Since its rebranding from HBO Max in 2023, Max has seen notable growth.
WBD now has 57.6 million streaming subscribers in the US, an increase of about 5 million over the past year.
Global subscriber growth exceeded 22 million, largely thanks to new markets in Southeast Asia and Europe.
Streaming advertising revenue also surged by 35% in the first quarter compared to last year.
Paid Sharing Could Be a Double-Edged Sword
WBD hopes that a paid-sharing rollout will further increase its subscriber base.
However, there’s a risk that engagement and advertising revenue might dip if casual viewers decide Max isn’t worth the added cost.
As the anti-password-sharing strategy becomes more prominent in late 2025 and early 2026, Max will test whether it can retain viewership while shifting towards a stricter subscription model.
